


A Spooky Encounter

by Johaerys



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fic or Treat Meme, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, Kissing, a little bit of demon fighting, more kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 14:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21198869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johaerys/pseuds/Johaerys
Summary: Kandice has a crush on Iron Bull. That much is plain. When he asks her to meet him outside a mysterious abandoned mansion on the night of Halloween, she doesn’t think twice before going. After all, what could possibly go wrong?Written as part of the Dragon Age Fic or Treat Exchange!





	A Spooky Encounter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missus_cupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missus_cupcake/gifts).

The window of the small room on the first floor of the Gull and Lantern was slightly open. Music and laughter drifted in from outside, mingled with the sound of merry conversations and the clinking of glasses and mugs. It was Halloween, and the people of Redcliffe were celebrating in the way they knew best: with dance, song, and lots and lots of ale.

Kandice had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Halloween was celebrated there, in Thedas. Halloween was one of her favourite celebrations, and finding out that Thedosians enjoyed it too... it had brought a wide smile to her face. She had arrived at the Hinterlands only a couple days past with Iron Bull, Varric, Solas and her friends for a quick quest, but upon seeing all the spooky decorations and the announcement on the central village board of the Haloween celebration they had decided to postpone their return to Skyhold. Some idle fun was long overdue, after all.

She glanced at herself in the small mirror of her dresser. Her Halloween costume was a hastily prepared one and could barely be called a costume; it was simply a long black dress that she had got from a vendor's stall and a tall pointy hat, which she had managed to make from a few pieces of scrap leather and fabric she had found in their bags. A little bit of kohl on her eyes, and she had called herself a witch. Not her best costume, by all accounts, but it would have to do.

Kandice prepared herself to walk out of her room and go to the inn's common room where her friends waited, when a small piece of paper slid underneath the door. She picked it up and frowned slightly when she unfolded it. It was an invitation of sorts with a map hastily scribbled on it. It pointed to an abandoned mansion that lay just a few minutes' ride away from the village. The instructions were clear; come swiftly, and come alone.

Her heart fluttered slightly as she read. Who could have left her that note? It could have been one of her friends; Margaret, Emily or Connor. They always enjoyed pranking her. Perhaps she would go there and have a bucket of paint thrown over her head or a spooky display that would make her blood curdle. Frowning slightly, she pushed the note under her belt and walked out the door.

The common room was decorated with carved pumpkins and lanterns, and the scent of warmed, spiced cider wafted from every table. Margaret, Connor, Varric and Emily were sitting around a table near the hearth, drinking and laughing. They all glanced up at her and smiled, inviting her over.

She stomped to their table, showing them the note. They just stared at her dumbly, confusion spreading over their features.

"Well?" Kandice pressed. "Which one of you geniuses left me this note? Did you think I would fall for it? It's the oldest trick in the book!"

They all exchanged glances, shrugging. Connor was the first one who spoke, indignation in his voice. "I didn't send you that. If I wanted to lure you somewhere I'd find a better way to do it. You know me."

"Neither did I," Emily and Margaret said at once.

Varric shrugged. "Don't look at me either. I have never seen that note before."

"If none of you sent it, then who did?" Kandice asked, confusion slithering into her as well now.

Her mind drifted automatically to Iron Bull, with his teasing smile and the clever glint in his eye. They had been spending a lot of time together lately, and she had quickly found out that he was one for clever jokes, too. Not to mention that he was a spy, so all that secrecy was just what she would expect of him.

A smile widened her lips as she pushed the note back under her belt.

"I'm off," she said playfully, waving at her friends and laughing at their protests. Don't wait up."

The ride to the abandoned mansion didn't take very long. As soon as its tall towers slithered into view, Kandice got off her horse, Roach, and tied his reins to a nearby tree. The animal snorted softly as it bent its neck and started to graze. Kandice patted its neck and looked around, her eyes adjusting to the swiftly decaying light of the evening.

The mansion was large and mostly decrepit, but it must have been a very grand building once. The outer yard was left to its own devices, the trees and bushes ovegrown to the point that it looked like a forest. She felt a little ridiculous standing in the middle of nowhere in her Halloween costume, but she tried not to give it much thought as she walked towards the building.

The stirring of leaves behind her made her heart leap in her throat. She spun around, lashing out wildly at whatever creature was getting ready to attack her. Her hand smacked against something that felt like a face, and a low groan made her stop.

She blinked in the half light. A massive figure stood before her, his horns peeking from above the ferns.

"Hey!" he protested, holding his cheek. "What did you do that for?"

"You scared me!" Kandice replied, frowning and folding her arms before her, although she did feel quite bad for hitting him. "Has no one ever told you not to sneak up on people?!"

Iron Bull rubbed his cheek and gave her a wide smile. “No, not really. I probably won’t be doing that to you again, though. You have a strong arm. I’ll give you that.”

Kandice’s frown melted away at the amusement in his voice. “I do, don’t I?” she said cheerfully, flexing her muscles at him. “Cassandra has been training me well.”

Iron Bull made a low humming noise in his throat. “I love me a strong woman.”

They both laughed heartily at that, the sound of their laughter the only sound reverberating in that quiet place. All of a sudden, Iron Bull took a step forward and swept her up in his arms, and Kandice squealed in surprise.

“What are you doing?!”

“What does it look like?” Iron Bull said, winking at her with his good eye. “I’m getting you inside that house. There's something I want to show you.”

Kandice giggled softly as she let him carry her inside, through the mansion’s heavy gilded entrance. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, yet it still held quite well, all things considered. The wide stairs were caked with dust and spider webs, and the old crystal chandelier looked just about to fall on their heads, but she couldn’t deny that there was a certain charm about the place. It looked grand and majestic, and Kandice felt her curiosity sparking as her eyes took everything in.

She motioned for Iron Bull to let her down, and he did so, swiftly but gently. It did make her feel a certain sort of way that she seemed to weigh as much as a feather for him, but she tried not to ponder on that too much as she fixed her dress and her hat about her head.

“How about we do some… exploring?” she said cheekily, nodding toward the stairs that led to the other levels.

Iron Bull looked around him, and scratched the back of his neck. “Are you sure? Those stairs don’t look very safe.”

“Oh, come on. We’re only going to take a quick peek. Where’s the harm in that?”

Bull gave her a long considering look, then glanced up the stairs. Kandice gave him a wide, sweet smile and batted her eyelashes at him.

“Fine,” he groaned, taking a step forward. “Your wish is my command, my lady.” He extended his arm in front of her, urging her to lead the way, and Kandice gracefully obliged.

The old stairs creaked and moaned under their weight as they went up. The upper floors were filled with long, dusty corridors. The walls were filled with old paintings depicting lords and ladies, their painted eyes following them as they moved. Kandice felt a shiver pass through her, and there was a certain eerie atmosphere that made her skin crawl, but she was too proud to admit that to Bull.

A loud thud echoed from somewhere above them that made Kandice squeak. She took a step back, almost falling onto Iron Bull that was behind her. Two large hands closed about her shoulders, keeping her steady.

“What was that?” Kandice said, looking about her wide eyed.

“I’m not sure,” Iron Bull replied slowly. He let her go and reached for the sword hanging at his back. “I think someone had the same idea as us.”

Kandice felt fear slithering down her spine at the thought. Mimicking Bull, she reached for her dagger at her belt, making sure she stayed behind him as they walked about the empty corridors.

Suddenly, all the torches hanging by the walls lit up all at once with a loud whoosh. Kandice almost jumped up onto Iron Bull’s arms from the shock.

“What on earth is going on?!” she whimpered, keeping close to Bull. He was tense like a draw string, looking around him, his ears pricked up to catch any sound.

“I don’t know, but don’t even think of straying,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. “Keep as close to me as you can.”

_You don’t need to say that twice_, Kandice thought. His presence by itself felt very reassuring, but she could still feel her heart beating wildly against her ribcage.

A thunderous voice echoed all around them then, chilling her straight to the bone.

“Intruders!” it roared. It sounded as if it were coming from everywhere all at once. “What are you doing in the home of my ancestors?”

Kandice spun around looking for the source of the voice. Her blood froze when she saw a wraith floating right before her, its eyes blazing through its misty outline.

Her mouth went slack with the shock. A ghost. She was face to face with a ghost. On Halloween. If there was any way for this whole debacle to get any more surreal, she didn’t know of it.

Iron Bull pushed her behind him protectively, and took a step forward. “Who-what are you? What do you want?”

The ghost’s aura flared bright red at Iron Bull’s words. “You dare ask me who I am? In my own house? Who are you? What do you want here?”

“We… we were only walking around!” Kandice mumbled. “We didn’t mean any harm. That’s… a very nice house you’ve got here. I like the architecture. It’s very, er… compelling.”

It sniffed audibly in contempt. As if it were possible for a wraith to sniff. Kandice shook her head and closed her eyes, hoping she was dreaming. But she wasn’t. When she opened her eyes again, the wraith was still there, looking at them. Its aura flared, and the entire house seemed to tremble and seethe in sync with it.

"Step back," Bull said, pulling her away. "This thing is an abomination. It could be a demon that possessed the former owner of this house." He growled deep in his throat. “I _hate_ demons.”

"Me? An abomination?” The wraith’s eyes flared bright, and it seemed as if it had become even larger in size. Its hands became longer, and its fingers were suddenly claws. He looked more like those demons Kandice had seen pouring from rifts by the minute. “This insolence must be paid in blood!"

All of a sudden, two bolts of lightning flew from the ghost’s hands. Bull tossed Kandice to the side, pulling his sword from its scabbard only seconds before the lightning bolts crashed where Kandice had been. The ghost- or the abomination- lunged at Bull, screeching wildly. Bull held fast against the abomination's barrage of attacks, deflecting its long sharp claws with his sword.

The abomination laughed madly as it lashed at Bull again, latching itself on his neck.

"Bull, no!" Kandice yelled. She pulled her dagger free from its scabbard and lunged at the creature, attacking it again and again. The abomination screeched as it let Bull go and turned towards her, its long claws ready to grip her throat.

Kandice's blood froze in her veins as it moved towards her. She simply stared at it, unable to move. She thought she would certainly die this time, when suddenly Bull's long sword cut cleanly through it, slicing it in two. It fell with a loud cry, its lifeless body collapsing on the wooden floor.

Kandice and Bull simply stared at each other, panting with the exertion for a long while. Bull sheathed his sword and cracked his neck. "Well. That's that I guess."

Kandice blinked at the creature, then at Iron Bull. He returned her bewildered look with a smug smile.

"I bet fighting an abomination was the last thing on your mind when you came here."

"Yes. It was. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get out of here,” Kandice said, taking a step away from the abomination’s remains and towards the stairs. “Whatever you had in mind when you brought me here, it definitely isn’t worth staying in this haunted place any longer.”

“Wait,” Iron Bull said, catching her arm. “Before that… thing appeared, I had a little surprise for you.”

Kandice’s eyes widened and she turned around to look at him. “A surprise?”

“Yes. Wanna see it?” Iron Bull’s smile was wide, with just a touch of mischief.

Before Kandice had finished nodding eagerly, Iron Bull swooped down and tossed her over his shoulder. Her high pitched squeal split the silence of the house, followed by Bull’s basso rumble. He walked down the creaking stairs and towards the end of the wide living room with Kandice slung over his enormous shoulder, laughing all the while at her protests.

When he finally let her down, her hat had disappeared somewhere along the way and she was panting from laughter, but she froze and stared around her wide eyed. A small corner of the living room had been cleared, the cob webs and dust brushed away and a blanket spread on the floor. A few candles illuminated the room, and on the blanket were two glasses, a bottle of wine and a block of Fereldan cheese.

Kandice turned to look at Bull. “What’s all this?”

Iron Bull flashed her a wide smile. “Exactly what it looks like. Thought I would bring you here, have some wine, talk a little, get away from it all. You definitely deserve it after all this running around you’ve been doing.”

“This is…” She looked around her, her heart fluttering in her chest. “This is truly wonderful, Bull. Thank you.”

He laughed softly as he sat down, taking her hand and pulling her onto his lap. Kandice couldn’t hide her wide smile as she settled herself on him, his arms wrapping around her tenderly.

He brought his hand up to cup the back of her neck, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Kandice thought her heart would leap out of her throat when their mouths touched. Bull gathered her closer against him as he deepened the kiss, and Kandice responded in kind, putting her arms around his neck.

“Well?” Iron Bull said, pulling slightly back to gaze into her eyes. “What do you say? Was fighting abominations worth it after all?”

"Oh, yes." Kandice chuckled softly as she leaned in to kiss him again. “A thousand times yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!! I had so much fun writing this :)
> 
> I'm [JohaerysLavellan on Tumblr](https://johaeryslavellan.tumblr.com/). Come say hi!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xoxo


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